Tent caterpillars vs. fall webworms
If you treated your trees for tent caterpillars in spring, you may be surprised (and possibly alarmed!) to see webbing in other trees in the fall. Should you spray again? Probably not. It's likely that they are actually two different critters: Tent caterpillars and fall webworms.
Tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum) eat foliage in spring. Fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea) eat foliage after the tree or shrub has already stored energy for winter and is preparing to go dormant.
Are they harmful?
It’s a good idea to treat the tent caterpillars. They eat tender new growth, which weakens the trees, making them more susceptible to other pests or diseases later in the season.
Fall webworms, on the other hand, are more unsightly than harmful. Their feeding isn’t usually as much of a problem so you can just leave them alone.
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